Fishermen ‘should have stake in stocks’

Could New Zealand teach the EU how to manage its fish stocks? If fishermen had to treat the fish they catch as property rather than just a natural resource, would they be more likely to watch out for overfishing?

As ministers gear up for the annual Fisheries Council (19 December), many will be wondering if anyone else has a better way of managing fish stocks than the EU. Every year, all-night Council arguments over catches for the following year notoriously fail to satisfy governments, fishermen, scientists or environmentalists.

Proponents of a different system used in Iceland, Norway, New Zealand and parts of America say giving fishermen tradable property rights over fish boosts profits and efficiency, and can also in some cases boost dwindling fish supplies.

"If fishermen have a stake in fish stocks they are more likely to lobby for better stock management," said Røgnvaldur Hannesson, author of The Privatization of the Oceans and professor at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business.

This system of individual tradable quotas (ITQs) has improved the profitability of fishing and brought down the number of boats bought every year, said Hannesson. "It's a shame," he added, that the EU did not seem to be considering an EU-wide ITQ approach, although countries like the UK and Netherlands have introduced something similar.

"I think all fishermen would be interested. As it is now, they are cat- fighting with Brussels."

Hannesson admitted that the system was not perfect, since it could lead to unemployment, as demand for boats dropped with increased efficiency. Commission fisheries spokeswoman Mireille Thom said it was "not an either/or situation". Next week ministers will decide the level of catches for 130 fish species. Once they have the allocations they can manage the fleets as they like.

Thom said an EU-wide individual trading system had been discussed, but there was "still a lot of misgiving and suspicion about trading in some member states, who do not think public authorities should divide up a natural resource that is not theirs to give".